Chapter 340 He Won't Let Me Eat Meat
The next day, Victoria woke up and saw Alexander on the sofa, buried in documents again. Even on holidays, Alexander always seemed like he was still working.
"Hey, babe," Victoria called out.
Alexander quickly closed the documents and walked over. Today, he was in casual clothes instead of his usual suit.
"Aren't you worried Dylan, Marcus, and Quentin might jump ship?" Victoria asked.
Alexander helped her sit up, surprised by her question. He gently fixed her messy hair, tucking it behind her ears.
"It's almost Christmas, and you're still working. Aren't they having to work overtime with you?" she continued.
Alexander chuckled. "No one can afford them; they're too expensive."
"Are you bragging about how rich you are?" Victoria teased.
Alexander raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that the case?"
She couldn't argue with that. After Alexander helped her freshen up, Dylan arrived with breakfast. They had just finished eating when Nathan showed up unexpectedly.
Saskia hadn't stayed in the hospital for a day before insisting on leaving. She wasn't seriously ill and didn't want to stay.
This morning, when Nathan went to their villa, he overheard them talking about visiting Victoria. After some questioning, Preston and Saskia told him everything. Otherwise, Nathan would have been kept in the dark.
In the hospital room, no one dared to make a sound. Nathan sat at the foot of the bed, looking stern and authoritative, hands resting on a cane. "Do you all think I'm dead?" he asked.
Nathan's sharp eyes scanned Preston, Saskia, and the two brothers, Alexander and Landon. "Something this big happened, and none of you told me!" he scolded.
Everyone stood there, silent. Victoria, lying on the bed, tried to calm him down. "Grandpa, don't be mad. Look at me; I'm fine now."
Nathan's expression softened when he looked at her. "Victoria, I'm not mad at you," Nathan said, glancing at Alexander. "I'm mad at Alexander. He can't even protect his own wife. What's the use of him!"
Landon muttered from the side, "When did Grandpa learn to change his expression so quickly?"
Alexander, feeling the heat from Nathan's criticism, kept his mouth shut.
Victoria jumped to his defense. "Grandpa, it's not his fault. I'm the stubborn one who didn't listen to him," she said, taking the blame.
She went on, "Grandpa, Alexander is amazing. He takes great care of me, does everything himself, and spoils me. But..."
Everyone watched her, waiting for her to finish.
"But what?" Nathan asked. Alexander's eyes were glued to her from the moment she started talking.
Victoria met his gaze, then quickly looked away, turning to Nathan with a pout. "Alexander hasn't let me eat meat these past few days. It's just been porridge."
Alexander sighed. "The flavors you want are too strong and not good for your recovery."
Nathan was ready to scold Alexander, but when he heard it was for her recovery, he softened. "Victoria, let's listen to Alexander for now and eat light. Once you're better, I'll have the family chef make you delicious food every day."
Landon chimed in, "Grandpa, we don't need the family chef. We have someone ready here. Victoria would probably prefer Alexander's cooking."
Nathan thought for a moment and nodded. "Right, once you're better, have your husband cook for you every day. If he doesn't, tell me, and I'll scold him for you."
After saying that, Nathan seemed to remember something. "Victoria, if he cooks something delicious, remember to invite me. I want to eat too." Nathan had heard about Alexander's cooking skills but hadn't had the chance to try it yet.
Victoria smiled. "Okay, I'll have him cook a big feast for all of us."
Alexander frowned slightly, pursed his lips, and stayed quiet.
After chatting with Victoria for a bit, Nathan got ready to leave, not wanting to disturb her rest. Preston had already explained Victoria's condition, saying she needed to rest.
"Victoria, take good care of yourself. We'll handle everything at home. You don't need to worry. Our family doesn't have many rules. Christmas is just a family meal; we can eat whenever," Nathan said kindly.
Victoria nodded. "Thanks, Grandpa. I get it."
Before leaving, Nathan turned to Alexander. "Come with me."
Outside the room, Nathan asked, "Where's Christopher now? Is he dead or alive?" Nathan knew Alexander wouldn't go easy on Christopher this time.
Nathan still didn't know that Christopher wasn't actually a blood relative of the Howard family.
Alexander thought for a moment. "I don't know." He really didn't; Gideon hadn't updated him on Christopher's status yet.
Nathan, being older and a bit soft-hearted, still saw them as family. "After all, he is Keith's son."
"He's not," Alexander cut him off.
Nathan's white eyebrows furrowed. Alexander continued, "Christopher and Keith aren't related by blood."
Nathan was stunned. So were Preston, Saskia, and Landon, who had just come out. Landon asked, "Alexander, are you serious?"
Landon was dumbfounded. Was he hearing things right? Alexander briefly explained, and the four of them fell silent.
In the afternoon, Gideon arrived to report on Christopher's situation to Alexander.
According to Gideon, Christopher was still alive but severely injured. Whether he would survive was up to fate.
Victoria, hearing this, stared blankly at Alexander.
"What? Are you scared?" Alexander asked, noticing her stare.
She shook her head. "No." She paused. "I was just thinking why you didn't bring Caesar along."
Gideon, standing nearby, was shocked. Victoria hadn't expected Alexander to have already taken action against Christopher. She had been planning to confront Christopher herself once she recovered, with Caesar by her side.
Since that was the case, Victoria would find someone else to settle the score with. No one involved in this mess would escape.
Gideon stayed for a while and then left. Before leaving, Alexander invited him to come back to the Howard Villa for dinner the next day, knowing Gideon wouldn't return home otherwise.
"I got it. I'm leaving now." Gideon turned back at the door and said, "By the way, Alexander, Keith will probably soon find out that Christopher is missing. He will definitely come looking for you."
Alexander wasn't afraid of Keith coming to find him. He nodded. "Got it."
"Alright, I'm off." He glanced at Victoria and added, "Victoria, I'm leaving."
Victoria nodded. "Honey, are we going back to the Howard Villa for dinner tomorrow?" she asked Alexander.
"Do you want to go back?" he replied.
"Can we?" she asked.
"We'll see later," Alexander said, not committing. She had just had surgery two days ago, and he wasn't comfortable taking her out yet.
Victoria didn't push it. As long as she was with Alexander, she was happy. After a moment, she sighed.
"What's wrong?" Alexander asked, curious.
"What about my grandma?" she said, a bit frustrated. "I haven't thought of an excuse for not spending Christmas with her this year." Victoria didn't want Thalia to know about her injury, fearing it would cause her to worry and lose sleep.
Alexander remembered Thalia's question when he picked her up at Wind Sleep Villa yesterday. "Is Victoria injured?" Thalia was sharp and not easily fooled.
However, Victoria and Thalia had a mutual understanding, both not wanting the other to worry. Thalia had even asked him to help keep it a secret.
"Don't worry about it," Alexander said.
Victoria looked at him, waiting for more.
Alexander explained, "She asked me to tell you yesterday that she will be praying at the church for a while and won't be coming out, so you don't need to spend Christmas with her this year."
Victoria's eyebrows furrowed slightly, but Alexander quickly added, "Don't worry; Grandma is in good health. Mia is with her, and I've also sent people to follow her secretly. She'll be fine."
Hearing this, Victoria felt much more at ease. She trusted Alexander to handle things.
Suddenly, Victoria remembered something. "Oh, honey, last night you whispered in my ear that you had something to tell me. What was it?" She had heard it in a daze as she fell asleep last night.
A quick, subtle change flashed in Alexander's eyes. "I'll tell you when you're feeling better."
Meanwhile, at the Kennedy Villa, Clara had been feeling uneasy since she told Christopher about Victoria's vulnerability. It was Clara who had informed Christopher about Thalia being in the nursing home.
However, today marked the third day, and there hadn't been any news from Christopher's side. Clara had no idea how things had developed and didn't dare to ask, fearing that one wrong move could lead to trouble.
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